Tag: Technology

We’ve seen seaweed make lemonade, and AI harnessed in the quest for the perfect beer. Now a San Francisco-based startup is looking to pull pints from treated wastewater. Buildings use only 14% of drinkable water, but generally don’t re-use it. The team used the recycled greywater - water with no faecal contamination - from a high-rise apartment building. The...

A cooling helmet helps prevent hair loss during chemotherapy. Hot flushes, which afflict women during the menopause, are equally undesirable. But thanks to a young designer from England and his startup, these episodes could soon be a thing of the past. His armband with integrated sensors detects hot flushes as they develop and activates a patch which cools the...

Salvia can speak volumes on oral cancer. Brain tumours, however, are harder to spot, and are usually only discovered at an advanced stage, when patients’ speech or movement becomes affected. Enter a research team from Japan and their non-invasive test to detect brain tumours through our urine. The team discovered particles with special characteristics. The so-called extracellular vesicles are...

Plant secretions are a useful source of energy. Inspired by photosynthesis, a research team from Lausanne has developed leaf-like electrodes which, powered by solar energy, can generate hydrogen from air humidity. The basis for the technology is a thin, light-transmissive and porous mesh made from melted quartz fibres. After being coated with fluorine-doped tin oxide, the structure becomes highly...

Creamy ice-cream and nutrient-rich milk alternatives have been made without animal products for years. Recently, a team of researchers from Copenhagen University has been focusing on how to make fat-free cream, striking lucky with their mix of water, milk protein, a thickener and lactic acid bacteria. The latter behave like the fat globules present in dairy-based whipped cream and...

Birds base their flight path on the earth's magnetic field. Meeting a wind turbine en route, however, is unfortunate for both bird and turbine. Which is why a startup from Greece has developed a system that diverts the animals while simultaneously minimising the off-time of the electricity generators. Thermal imaging- and high-resolution cameras provide round-the-clock surveillance for critical areas...

Banana ‘paper’ can help protect potatoes from pathogens by absorbing spuds’ discharge. Now, a startup from the Netherlands is using the discarded organic material produced during photosynthesis to create electricity. Bacteria around the roots of a plant break down the discharge, releasing electrons and protons. These react with anodes and cathodes in the soil, as well as oxygen in...

Goal-setting can motivate people to undertake climate action. So too entertaining tips. Now with its new IT solution, a startup from Norway is helping companies to bring climate action directly to their clients. Integration into software or apps means offsetting measures can be initiated upon purchase. During the buying process the resultant carbon footprint is calculated and clients can...